Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna) poster & wallpaper

Adrian Alonso, America Ferrera, Carmen Salinas

"Under the Same Moon" tells the parallel stories of nine-year-old Carlitos and his mother, Rosario. In the hopes of providing a better life for her son, Rosario works illegally in the United States wh...( read more  read more... )ile her mother cares for Carlitos back in Mexico. Unexpected circumstances drive both Rosario and Carlitos to embark on their own journeys in a desperate attempt to reunite. Along the way, mother and son face challenges and obstacles but never lose hope that they will one day be together again.

Flixster Users

80% liked it

4,065 ratings

Critics

73% liked it

88 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 49 min.

Directed by: Kenta Fukasaku

Release Date: March 19, 2008

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DVD Release Date: June 17, 2008

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Stats: 1,327 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (1,327)

  • hobster1
    June 22, 2008
    hobster1
    Heartfelt, well acted drama. Adrian Alonso is a gifted young actor.
  • limoradalloway
    May 24, 2008
    limoradalloway
    iAi, que cute!
  • CultofMovies
    April 7, 2008
    CultofMovies
    This is a very moving picture that depicts one of the main issues in the United States. Illegal Immigration. It shows the horrors that people have to go through as they cross the border to "live a better life". A lot of well known Mexican actors are in this film, Carmen Salinas, ...( read more)Eugenio Derbez, Kate Del Castillo, Ernesto D'alessio, and others. Adrian Alonso played a role of Carlitos, a kid who crosses the border in search of his mom (Kate Del Castillo) and a troublesome journey begins. Derbez gave an amazing performance that brought comic relief to the film (which it needed). I never thought I'd see the day with Derbez in cinema, he did very well. Kate Del Castillo played an okay portrayal of the mom, but she could have done better, in my opinion. Little Adrian deserves a lot of credit for this film, at this age and acting like that? This kid has a future in cinema. I think we all can see that. The famous "Los Tigres Del Norte" have a cameo on this film. Truly a great moving film that should be seen by anyone with a heart. I recommend it.
  • wbgoose13
    April 4, 2008
    wbgoose13
    It's like An American Tail, but with a scrappy little Mexican boy instead of a mouse.
  • Dracula787
    June 29, 2008
    Dracula787
    The trailer for Patricia Riggen?s Under the Same Moon boldly proclaims that ?not since Cinema Paradiso has a film captured the hearts of audiences around the world [as much as Under the Same Moon].? Given that the movie swiftly came and went in theaters it can safely be said that...( read more) that proclamation was, at best, wishful thinking on the part of Fox Searchlight and the Weinstein Company. Still it makes one wonder why foreign movies are having such a hard time breaking into the mainstream as of late. Pan?s Labyrinth came real close to breaking through two years ago, but never quite became a sensation along the line of Ill Postino or Crouching Tiger. My personal conspiracy theory on this is that the studios are deliberately sabotaging their releases so they can more easily do Hollywood remakes. But that?s a rant for a different day, because no one is going to want to remake this thing, and nor should they. The only reason this was largely ignored is that it?s sappy and manipulative.

    The film follows dual stories of a Mexican boy named Carlito (Adrian Alonso) and his mother Rosario (Kate del Castillo) who?s working illegally on the other side of the border in Los Angeles. Rosario has been gone for four years and Carlito?s father has been out of the picture for even longer. Carlito?s only contact with his mother ocurrs when she calls him every Sunday, but after one fateful Sunday call he finds his grandmother dead. With this in mind, Carlito decides to travel alone from his town in Mexico to his mother in L.A. and wants to get there before the next Sunday call is made so his mother won?t worry. After the local coyote refuses to help him Carlito must rely on the kindness of strangers in order to get across the border and reach his mother.

    Believability is probably the first o many problems this movie has. Over the years there have been a lot of precocious children on the screen, but it takes a special kind of precociousness for a nine year old to independently think that he can travel hundreds of miles across a foreign border, against all warnings from his elders, alone and on a very limited budget. Many adults are killed or arrested trying to do the same, yet this kid succeeds relatively unscathed. Every time the kid is about to get in trouble the film?s script has him coincidentally run into a random stranger willing to help him, usually at great expense to themselves.

    Immigration was a huge issue for about a month last year, now it?s pretty well on the back burner but it remains a controversial subject. This film?s take on the subject is one-sided and simple: all illegal immigrants are saintly figures while everyone who isn?t an illegal immigrant is naïve, mean, or an obstacle. The only American citizens to be found here are nameless brutal cops, fascists with the gall to raid a sleazy tomatoes plantation who ?generously? decide to hire a nine year old for dangerous work. Also to found are a pair of Second generation Mexican immigrants who are inept college students incapable of the simplest smuggling actions. But the most offensively un-nuanced of the American characters is a thoroughly witch-like and seemingly senile old rich woman who coldly fires Carlito?s mother for the most minor of offences without even paying for work that?s been completed. Admittedly, the mother?s other boss seemed relatively normal, but one token non-sociopath American character is not enough to make up for this insanely manipulative look at a major issue.

    I?m sure one can find many Americans who do act a lot like the above examples, but only selectively choosing those types as examples and juxtaposing them with the saintly illegal immigrants here is intellectually dishonest. If someone like Lou Dobbs decided to produce a movie that featured nothing but lazy, drug dealing, or diseased immigrants people would label it propagandistic or at the very least a gross simplification of a complex issue and rightly so, Under the Same Moon is exactly the same but from a different side.

    The film does step off its soapbox and focus strictly on its saccharine story in the third act, but this doesn?t help either because when divorced from its sophomoric politics is still a lame, sappy story. The movie is just as manipulative emotionally as it is politically; its trivialization of human suffering and overbearing score make Frank Capra movies look downright subtle.

    This is little more than the hallmark card version of the immigrant experience and it pales in comparison to other better movies on the subject like El Norte, In America, and Maria Full of Grace. The movie was mostly ignored in theaters and should also be avoided on DVD. Speaking of which, the subtitles on the DVD I watched were actually captions, which continued through the film?s English potions and forced the viewer to read through descriptions of sound effects. This annoyance was yet another reason to leave this thing on the DVD shelf.
  • jonaserikcabrera
    September 26, 2009
    jonaserikcabrera
    nice going. more power
  • ElCochran90
    September 17, 2009
    ElCochran90
    The best Mexican film I've seen in a long while (years). I loved every aspect about it, except that reality is portrayed very gently and positively here, when reality is more difficult and harsh nowadays. Even so, the acting, direction, heart-warming moments and the characters co...( read more)mpensate the few bad aspects of this little gem. See it to not lose hope entirely on Mexican cinema.

    60/100
  • chulanina2008
    September 3, 2009
    chulanina2008
    una de mis favoritas peliculas :)
  • wachi1
    September 1, 2009
    wachi1
    good movie...adrian 's so cute
  • MorpheusOne
    August 28, 2009
    MorpheusOne
    An attempt to justify and romanticize illegal immigration!? ...probably why I'll never see it!

    (I wonder if there is a movie, or I wonder if they will ever make a movie, about illegal immigration from the real life perspective of guns, drugs, and human trafficking!?! Not to men...( read more)tion the economic terrorism that comes with it; might be to politically incorrect for some but, God forbid somebody tell the truth!)

View All Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna) Reviews

Critic Reviews

April 20, 2008
Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com

A beautifully rendered, unforgettable story of the invincible bond between a mother and son. full review

April 4, 2008
Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna) is the nightmare Lou Dobbs has when he goes to sleep at night. full review

April 4, 2008
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

A story that's too cute, too corny and too contrived. full review

March 21, 2008
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

Much of the plotting is schematic, and some of the moments meant to tug our heartstrings clearly flow from the melodramatic telenovela form. Yet the scheme transcends itself in surprising ways. Love c... full review

March 20, 2008
Claudia Puig, USA Today

Under the Same Moon is a heartfelt story of unquenchable hope, with the plight of illegal immigrants serving as an intriguing and timely backdrop. full review

March 19, 2008
Marcy Dermansky, About.com

The actual storytelling is so filled with sunshine and resilient good cheer that true pathos of the situation never rings true. full review

View more Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna) reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments

  • MorpheusOne
    August 28, 2009
    MorpheusOne
    An attempt to justify and romanticize illegal immigration!? ...probably why I'll never see it!

    (I wonder if there is a movie, or I wonder if they will ever make a movie, about illegal immigration from the real life perspective of guns, drugs, and human trafficking!?! Not to mention the economic terrorism that comes with it; might be to politically incorrect for some but, God forbid somebody tell the truth!)
  • pryl18
    September 11, 2008
    pryl18
    The info about the director of this movie is wrong. The real director is Patricia Riggen.
  • TessaKeAna
    March 6, 2008
    TessaKeAna
    It was so moving....
    I couldn't help but cry
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